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5 Reasons You Failed to Land the Job
There are few things as intimidating as the job interview. Interviews are notorious for tripping candidates up and taking their desired positions out of reach—if you’ve recently failed to land that new gig you’ve been wanting, check to see if one of the following reasons was the culprit.
1. You Weren’t Prepared
Plain and simple. If you were unprepared to meet the expectations of the interviewer, your resume will be sent to the bottom of the pile.
- Is your appearance tidy, polished, and professional?
- Did you bring extra copies of your resume, per the interviewer’s request?
- Did you research the company ahead of time and prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer?
That last one is key—interviewers notice when a candidate does his/her due diligence before the interview. Those who show initiative in this area will have an edge over the competition who only did what was asked of them.
2. Your Online Presence Put Them Off
Most candidates these days understand that they need to purge their public profiles of any offensive or objectionable content when they begin their job hunt. However, your social media profile can trip you up in numerous ways.
Interviewers will assess the content of your posts, the way your profile is set up, any other available information to form assessments of your character. if your profiles contain controversial posts (by you or your friends) related to politics or social issues, make sure you lock down your privacy settings and restrict access from those you aren’t friends with.
3. You Didn’t Market Yourself During the Interview
At its core, a job interview is a sales pitch. Candidates must be their own champions and push the benefits of hiring themselves over a competitor. Many candidates worry about coming across as too “braggy” or self-promotional, preferring to let their resumes do the talking. Unfortunately, your resume isn’t enough.
Candidates must go beyond what’s on the page and explain the specific points of competitive advantage that aren’t listed on their resumes. Your resume is just an overview—it’s the nitty gritty details of your background and personal experience that interviewers will want to hear about.
4. You Failed to Connect With the Hiring Manager
Failing to make a personal connection with the hiring manager can be the difference between first place and runner-up in the hiring race. Often, the candidate that gets hired isn’t always the most qualified—it’s the candidate that the hiring executives like the best.
To that end, candidates must do what they can to make an impact on the interviewer from the get-go. Make eye contact. Smile. Work on your body language. And if possible try to strike up a conversation or tell a memorable story during your interview that will help you stick out in the hiring manager’s mind long after the interview is over.
5. You Simply Weren’t a Good Cultural Fit
The cultural fit of an organization is a frustrating X-factor that prevents many qualified candidates from landing jobs. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do about this. It’s not possible to determine how well you’ll interact with the other employees before you get hired; as such, this decision is often left up to the interviewer.
Try to pick up the subtle language clues given off by the interviewer. Listen for what industry terms they use, what priorities he/she has, and what the motivations are for finding an employee. These nuances can help build positive associations between you and the company in the mind of the interviewer.
Job hunting is a difficult process that often results in excessive time, energy, and money spent with little to show for it. Businesses looking to expand their recruitment capabilities should contact Urgenci for an assessment of their hiring practices. With the right talent recruitment team at your back, the perfect candidates are within your reach.
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